FIGURE 1.

Mixed-method study designs aligned with epidemiologic concepts. Mixed methods can help epidemiologists incorporate the emic view into many aspects of research while building causal models. The 2 × 2 table is the foundation of epidemiology and quantitative at the core. Qualitive methods can be incorporated either before, during, or after estimating the association between exposure and outcomes. The order in which the quantitative and qualitative methods are used depend on what aspect of the research question needs to be strengthened.